The aftermath of the deadly explosions that ripped through the Boston Marathon on Monday overwhelmed wireless networks, which struggled to complete calls and process messages.

Contrary to initial reports from The Associated Press and elsewhere, law enforcement did not shut down the system to prevent another detonation by wireless device. The AP later retracted that claim.

Still, congestion proved debilitating for many wireless users trying to contact loved ones. At one point, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency offered a plea over Twitter: "If you are trying to reach friends or family and can't get through via phone, try [texting] instead (less bandwidth)."

An FCC spokeswoman said the agency is working with the Department of Homeland Security and top wireless carriers to address the difficulties.

Some of the nation's largest wireless carriers acknowledged disruptions.

“We are experiencing some above-normal call blocking in Boston as a result of today’s events," a Sprint spokeswoman told POLITICO. "Sprint did augment capacity on its cell sites along the marathon route in preparation for today’s race, and voice levels are returning to normal as law enforcement and first responders have cleared out the area as part of their response.”

Similarly, AT&T said its customers "may be experiencing issues with wireless voice and data service due to a spike of network activity and related congestion." The carrier also urged customers to try texting and exhorted the public to "keep non-emergency calls to a minimum." In an effort to ease the problem, AT&T also expanded its area Wi-Fi services, which appeared to work properly.

Verizon said in a statement that it's working to expand its capacity but noted there had been no physical damage to the Verizon network.

"Customers are advised to use text or email to free up voice capacity for public safety officials at the scene," a spokeswoman said.

T-Mobile declined to comment for this story.

Wireless networks can easily clog during emergencies. High call volumes can swamp the system while natural disasters can disrupt the very infrastructure that processes those communications.

Telecom giants increasingly face Washington scrutiny for their handling of high-volume events — from the earthquake that rattled D.C. and its wireless users to the difficulties during Hurricane Sandy that plagued millions. Even Inauguration Day, a planned event for which telecom companies deployed roving cell units, suffered congestion outages.

Separately, Google on Monday unveiled a "Person Finder" page for the Boston Marathon on which Web users can post information about those they're trying to find or share information they currently have.

The website for The Boston Globe newspaper and its portal, Boston.com, both were down for long stretches of the afternoon as well.

This article first appeared on POLITICO Pro at 6:41 p.m. on April 15, 2013.